Every old crow thinks hers is the blackest. This idiom is most commonly a statement of parental pride. Every parent thinks their child is the sweetest, smartest, and most beautiful. And of course they are! But I chose this saying for Election Day 2016 because of its greater meaning. Everyone thinks their cause is right … Continue reading Every old crow thinks hers is blackest
Category: Southern Sayings
Nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs
A cat will suck the very breath out of a baby and kill it. No, wait. If a cat jumps over a grave, the occupant will rise again, vampire-like. Or is it that a cat will steal your soul? Whatever it is, Southerners have traditionally been deeply suspicious of cats. Mawmaw Atkins refused to even … Continue reading Nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs
Too poor to paint and too proud to whitewash
I have idioms for my idioms. This thought occurred to me this morning while I was in the shower. That’s where I do my best thinking, where I get my best ideas. And this morning I was thinking about the phrase “Too poor to paint and too proud to whitewash.” It’s like being between a … Continue reading Too poor to paint and too proud to whitewash
All the things you’re not supposed to say
Southerners won’t hesitate for a minute to comment on someone’s appearance. Yes, we know it’s rude. That’s why we’ll spare your feelings by talking about you behind your back. You know how it goes — if you don’t have anything nice to say, come sit by me. I know. I know. It’s terrible. It’s bad. … Continue reading All the things you’re not supposed to say
If I tell you a chicken dips snuff…
Yardbirds are about as common in southern speech as they are on the Sunday dinner table, so just between us chickens, here are a few sayings regarding our favorite fowl. If I tell you a chicken dips snuff, you can look under his wing for the can. No matter how outlandish, no matter how fantastic, … Continue reading If I tell you a chicken dips snuff…
Piss on you from a high oak tree
Piss on you from a high oak tree. What a powerful way to express contempt. That's why this idiom works it’s way into my conversation whenever the need arises to tell someone to go to hell. And the need does arise. I had heard people say “piss on you” before, but until I read Mary … Continue reading Piss on you from a high oak tree
Crooked as a barrel of black snakes
If you want to talk the idiomatic talk of a southerner, you must embrace the simile. Now in elementary school grammar we all learned that a simile is a comparison of two things using “like” or “as.” And it wasn’t so much something we learned to do as it was learning the name for something … Continue reading Crooked as a barrel of black snakes
It’s time to fish or cut bait
It’s time to fish or cut bait. That was my first thought when Javacia Harris Bowser, founder of See Jane Write, issued her annual #bloglikecrazy challenge to publish one post each day for the entire month of November. Thirty days. Thirty posts. A challenge that said to me, “It’s time to fish or cut bait.” … Continue reading It’s time to fish or cut bait
She’s gone to the dogs – or – Canine colloquialisms of the Deep South
Talking with a Southerner can be an entertaining, albeit sometimes confusing, venture. We love to be colorful. We delight in our colloquialisms. After all, why use just one old boring word when you can liven up the conversation with 4 or 5 or more and convey the same idea? For instance, you may see your … Continue reading She’s gone to the dogs – or – Canine colloquialisms of the Deep South
As cold as floogie
It is as cold as floogie. At least that's how Mama describes the weather we've had this winter — as cold as floogie. She's used this description for as long as I can remember, although the word "floogie" doesn't seem to have any real meaning. It's sort of onomatopoetic in a way. "Ooooo it's so … Continue reading As cold as floogie